Document
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by the Registrant x Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ¨
Check the appropriate box:
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¨ | | Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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¨ | | Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
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¨ | | Definitive Proxy Statement |
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¨ | | Definitive Additional Materials |
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x | | Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
BAZAARVOICE, INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
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x | | No fee required. |
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¨ | | Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. |
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| | (1) | | Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies: |
| | (2) | | Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies: |
| | (3) | | Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined): |
| | (4) | | Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction: |
| | (5) | | Total fee paid: |
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¨ | | Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
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¨ | | Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing. |
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| | (1) | | Amount Previously Paid: |
| | (2) | | Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.: |
| | (3) | | Filing Party: |
| | (4) | | Date Filed: |
This Schedule 14A filing consists of the following communication relating to the proposed acquisition of Bazaarvoice, Inc. (“Company”) by BV Parent, LLC (“Parent”) and BV Merger Sub, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”) pursuant to the terms of an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated November 26, 2017 by and among the Company, Parent and Merger Sub:
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| (1) | Email to Participating Company Employees regarding the Company’s ESPP, dated December 20, 2017. |
On December 20, 2017, the following email was sent to employees of the Company that participate in the Company’s 2012 Employee Stock Purchase Plan:
ESPP Participants,
Below are answers to frequently asked questions with respect to the ESPP program in light of the potential transaction with Marlin. If you have any additional questions please contact stockadmin@bazaarvoice.com.
Q: What happens to stock purchased through the ESPP?
A: All stock purchased already or in the future through the ESPP program will be sold like all other shares, at $5.50, upon completion of the Marlin transaction.
Q: Can I make any changes to my current ESPP election between now and the final purchase?
A: As of now, participants in the ESPP are no longer allowed to increase the percentage amount of payroll deductions to defer into the ESPP, nor are any new participants allowed to participate. Current participants do, however, have other options to withdraw from the program:
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1. | Submit a withdraw and purchase request via Workday |
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2. | Submit a withdraw and refund via Workday |
Q: What happens to the money that is currently being deducted for this ESPP period?
A: There will be one final ESPP purchase. The purchase will happen on the earlier of 10 business days prior to the closing or the last payroll before closing. The ESPP stock that is purchased will be treated like all other ESPP stock mentioned above.
Q: Will there be a future ESPP plan?
A: No. Upon the earlier of the natural termination of the current Offering Period or the termination of the Offering Period upon closing, no new Offering Period will begin. Similarly, the ESPP will terminate immediately before the close of the acquisition.
We will provide further detail and communication on what you should be aware of and what you might need to do with regards to the exchange of your shares of common stock and equity awards for cash at the appropriate time.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
In connection with the merger, Bazaarvoice, Inc. (the “Company”) intends to file relevant materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including a definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A, a preliminary version of which has been filed with the SEC. Promptly after filing its definitive proxy statement with the SEC, the Company will mail the definitive proxy statement and a proxy card to each stockholder entitled to vote at the special meeting relating to the merger. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF THE COMPANY ARE URGED TO READ THESE MATERIALS (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE MERGER THAT THE COMPANY WILL FILE WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY AND THE MERGER. The definitive proxy statement, the preliminary proxy statement and other relevant materials in connection with the merger (when they become available), and any other documents filed by the Company with the SEC, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov) or at the Company’s website http://www.bazaarvoice.com or by writing to the Company’s Secretary at 10901 Stonelake Blvd, Austin, TX 78759.
Participants in the Solicitation
The Company and its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Company’s stockholders with respect to the merger. Information about the Company’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of the Company’s common stock is set forth in the proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on October 13, 2017 and the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2017. To the extent that such individual's holdings of the Company’s common stock have changed since the amounts printed in the Company’s proxy statement, such changes have been or will be reflected on Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC. Information regarding the identity of the potential participants, and their direct or indirect interests in the merger, by security holdings or otherwise, will be set forth in the proxy statement and other materials to be filed with SEC in connection with the merger.
Forward-looking statements
This communication, and the documents to which the Company refers you in this communication, contains not only historical information, but also forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements represent the Company’s expectations or beliefs concerning future events, including the timing of the transaction and other information relating to the transaction. Forward-looking statements include information concerning possible or assumed future results of operations of the Company, the expected completion and timing of the transaction and other information relating to the transaction. Without limiting the foregoing, the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “forecasts,” “should,” “estimates,” “contemplate,” “future,” “goal,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “projection,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “assuming” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. You should read statements that contain these words carefully. They discuss the Company’s future expectations or state other forward-looking information and may involve known and unknown risks over which the Company has no control. Those risks include, (i) the risk that the transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the Company’s business and the price of the common stock of the Company, (ii) the failure to satisfy of the conditions to the consummation of the transaction, including the adoption of the merger agreement by the stockholders of the Company and the receipt of regulatory approvals from various domestic governmental entities (including any conditions, limitations or restrictions placed on these approvals) and the risk that one or more governmental entities may deny approval, (iii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement, (iv) the risk that the definitive merger agreement may be terminated in circumstances that require the Company to pay a termination fee and/or reimbursement of their expenses; (v) risks regarding the failure to obtain the necessary financing to complete the merger, (vi) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the transaction on the Company’s business relationships, operating results and business generally, (vii) risks that the proposed transaction disrupts current plans and operations, (viii) risks related to diverting management’s attention from the Company’s ongoing business operations, and (ix) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company related to the merger agreement or the transaction. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this communication or the date of any document incorporated by reference in this document. Further risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements are described in the Company’s SEC reports, including but not limited to the risks described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for its fiscal year ended April 30, 2017, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2017 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended October 31, 2017. Except as required by applicable law or regulation, the Company does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.